Tanchō (Red-crowned Crane)

The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane (Chinese: 丹顶鹤 or 丹頂鶴; Hanyu Pinyin: Dāndǐng Hè; Japanese: 丹頂 or タンチョウ, tancho; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world.

In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity.

Adult Red-crowned Cranes are named for a patch of red bare skin on the crown, which becomes brighter in the mating season. Overall, they are snow white in color with black on the wing secondaries, which can appears almost like a black tail when the birds are standing, but the real tail feathers are actually white.

In Japan, this crane is known as the tancho and is said to live for 1,000 years. A pair of Red-crowned Cranes were used in the design for the Series D 1000 yen note (reverse side). In the Ainu language, the Red-crowned Crane is known as sarurun kamuy or marsh kamuy. At Tsurui they are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.

In China, the Red-crowned Crane is often featured in myths and legends. In Taoism, the Red-crowned Crane is a symbol of longevity and immortality. In art and literature, immortals are often depicted riding on cranes.

Tsurui (鶴居村 Tsurui-mura^?) is a village located in Akan District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō.
Tsurui is a breeding ground for the Red-crowned Crane, one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.